Named for the stone upon which Scottish kings were crowned, our Scotch Ale represents a tradition of brewing excellence. You will enjoy a hint of caramel sweetness, a well-rounded flavor, and superior drinkability. Try one and see how kingly a beer can be.

Another seasonal put on, enjoyed on tap at the downtown brewpub. Amber body with a bit of head. Malty aroma. average mouthfeel. Somewhat Complex malt story,on the sweeter side, with caramel, chocolate malts, a bit of smoked malts. Not a bad one. No booziness.

A. Mahogany brown with red tinge to the edges. Not much of a head, but that's OK.S. Here is where I start to sense trouble. I really have to struggle to get any kind of smell at all out of this beer. Eventually, after almost snorting the beer up my nose by accident, I detect a weak caramel-toffee malt with maple notes. I should not have to try so hard to be able to smell my beer, and no, I do not have a head cold. This is supposed to be a Scotch Ale?T. Follows the nose. Weak watery malt notes and a smidge of maple. I am starting to worry that either A. I have jaded my palate with an excess of higher gravity brews or B. This beer is not very good.M. Well, at least it is thirst-quenching and doesn't sit heavy at all. But isn't the style called 'wee heavy' for a reason?

Another entry in my pre-interview extravaganza. It pours a clear darkly burnt copper topped by a finger of off-white micro-foam. The nose comprises toasted caramel, toffee, light tobacco, mixed nuts, and oak. The taste holds notes of caramel, toffee, walnuts, some greens, and a touch o' rye bread. The body is medium, with a light carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a very nice Scotch, one of the better brews I've sampled here thus far. Good call on this one, Mike!

Yum. I've had it at the Fitchburg, Hilldale, and Down Town Great Danes, I'm always pleased. Usually in an English style Pub glass. My first Scotch Ale and still one that I long for. It's now McEwan's, but still quite solid. If you're at the Dane, it might not be the best choice, but it's definitely one of their better beers. The IPA and new Barley Wine are not to be missed. Certainly worth trying.

T: brown sugar sweets that are syrup-like and sometimes almost medicinal at times. I get a dab of coffee, toasted, and smoked flavors in the mix. Malts are mild and balanced and hide in the dark. However, once again, I find this brew lacks in overall complexity. The flavors show up and disappear quickly and this is not protocol, especially for a scotch ale. This is a weak attempt!

M: fairly active and maintains some smoothness. Artificial sweetness lingers and a touch bitter in the finish

D: just to timid for the style. Maybe I am spoiled because the last scotch ale I enjoyed was a skullsplitter. But I think I am in the right saying that I can't even fathom calling Great Dane's "Stone of Scone" a scotch ale.Maybe I must get to the brewery and sample some of these beers...so far 2 lame experiences

A= This ale poured a fairly clear, dark copper color with a 1/2" off white head. The head quickly sank to a skim and left only a few spots of lace on my glass.

S= Dominant aromas of sweet caramel maltiness. Mild depth to the sweetness, with a hint of breadiness in there too. Also an off-aroma of a chemical nature.

T= All the right flavors of a sweet malt-bomb present, but unfortunately a big off-flavor as well. It was mildly chemical-ly and I don't know what caused it. It wasn't so strong that the beer was undrinkable, yet it was strong enough that it really got in the way of my enjoyment.

MF= Medium bodied with a moderate crisp carbonation.

D= The good flavors and the alcohol made this a beer I could easily session. That sharp off flavor was a deal breaker for me though...

Taste, kind of follows the nose. Very sweet, with maple flavors abounding. There's a hint of smoke which was very welcome, and some toffee flavors in tow. Little hop balance, but what is there is noble and quality.

Overall, very interesting Scotch Ale to say the least. Truly a unique beer that I would order up any day of the week.

Enjoyed at the original Dane nearby the Capitol with wonderful company and one of the biggest freakin' burritos I've ever seen!

It was delivered to the table with the typical expected appearance: blackened mahogany beneath a short head of densely creamy tan froth. The retention was good, but could have been better (although that may have been due to a dirty glass or too much grease on my lips - but I did taste it before eating! Spicy burritos and tasting beer don't mix)!

The aroma suggested deeply caramelized malts with a hint of chocolate drizzled caramel and toffee, and some very subtle background smoke.

In the mouth it's velvety soft and smooth with a medium-full body and restrained carbonation that just delicately caresses the palate.

The subtle smoke found in the aroma is more evident in the flavor. It's rich, malty, subtly smokey, and caramelish. There's a short thread of yeasty fruitiness running through the middles as well; and the bitterness is just enough to keep the sweetness of the malt from running over and leaving it flabby.

Perfectly rounded in flavor, and supple across the palate, the Stone Of Scone Scotch Ale is an excellent example of the style! And for fans of this fairly hard to find style, I'd highly recommend a trip to enjoy this one!

Appearance: Almost black, with a few mahogany highlights. No real visibility. A nice 1.3 inch head quickly dissipates to an appealing suds film. Medium viscosity.

Aroma: Chocolate, espresso, a little raisin and some biscuity notes. Not overly complex, but a real treat on the nose.

Taste: Smoky nuttiness on the front palate, followed by chocolate, molasses and espresso. A little sourness that manages not to become particularly bitter. Mellow without being too sweet. Maintains an almost butterscotch nuttiness as it warms, with chocolate and cocoa developments on the middle palate. Cleansing finish that pleasantly surprises in such a full-bodied dark beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, smooth, with very little bitterness - just enough to keep me wanting more. Low carbonation and an almost creamy finish.

Drinkability: This is a good brew, even if it is missing a little of the fruitiness and body that other Scotch ales seem to have. Nonetheless, eminently sessionable. More a distinctive stamp on a great style, than a complete departure.

This beer was served in an imperial pint glass and was sampled at the Pub itself.

I led my evening off with this beer, and as the drinking of it began with such great excitment, it slowly proved to be slightly disapointing. The beer came served a deep mahogany, almost brown color, with poor head retention. Malty/very lightly smokey nose to it. Mouthfeel was medium with a flavor completely malt based and driven, the smokiness of the nose again reappeared just at the finish. This is a solid sipping beer, but could be slightly better, especially when compared to the other beers I drank that night.

Clear cherry cola with blood orange trim. The beige cap was the usual one finger bar pour in height, fell to a spotty film within minutes and left a small amount of spotty, smeary lace. By the midway point, there was nothing on the surface of the beer or on the glass.

The nose was disappointingly weak. There was no tobacco smoke in the brewpub and there were no strong food smells, so it was surprising that I couldn't appreciate more of an aroma with several focused sniffs. Dark malty, heavily toasted... that's about it. It certainly didn't smell like a Scotch ale.

Let's get this out of the way at the start. Stone of Scone is not a Scotch ale/wee heavy. At least not as I think of the style. In fact, it's barely a Scottish ale (but will be scored as such). It was lightly malted and, therefore, lightly flavored. I could appreciate earthy Munich malt, weak cocoa and well-toasted pecans. Perhaps a touch of British hops, but they were in the background.

The beer was more notable for what it didn't possess than for what it did. The absentee list goes something like this: caramel, brown sugar, peat, smoke and dark fruit. There was very little sweetness and not much bitterness. SOSSA was too light, even for a Scottish ale, and didn't have even a trace amount of creaminess.

Had I been led astray? I had traveled several hundred miles to partake of the fine ales at The Great Dane, Madison's brewpub of brewpubs, famed in song and story, and had been served *this*. I wish I had read some of the reviews prior to my trip because I wouldn't have led off with Stone Of Scone, that's for sure. I have to believe that this is one of the weakest of the Dane's offerings. At least I hope so.

I picked up a growler of this on the way to Milwaukee for a Twins & Brewers game. It was a very enjoyable beer. It poured to a deep copper-brownish color with a tan head. It had a malty, toasty aroma with a faint hint of smoke. The flavor was malty, and toasty, with a bit of smokiness and toffee. It had a bit of hoppiness in the finish. It had a lighter mouthfeel than I was expecting. It was very easy drinking. Not a bad beer. I really enjoyed the fact that I could bring a growler home, since I am unable to yet here in Mn.

My first scotch ale and it made me feel pretty good on an empty stomach. Pours a very dark amber, almost black, with hardly any head. Aroma is a little malty, floral, and a hint of alcohol. A good sized sip reveals the caramel malt, some nicely hidden alcohol, and....water. The Great Dane makes some great beers, but they make everything too thin.

Slightly hazed, tawny copper bodied with a wisp of a head that extinguishes quickly.
Mild malty aroma with traces of toffee and ghostly smoke. Pleasant, but quite faint.
Similar in the taste dept. Carmel and toffee are the major players. A slight peaty smokiness lingers waaaaay in the background. A touch of alcohol in the finish. And that is it.
Thin and watery for a strong scotch ale.
There are no off-flavors or anything offensive about this beer, it just needs a boost in just about every catagory.
Easy drinking, but you'd probably want to move onto one of Great Dane's more interesting brews.